Every 71 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s. While currently as many as 5.2 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s, it is estimated 10 million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer’s in their lifetime.
As people grow older, changes in the brain cause some decline in short-term memory and a slowing down in learning ability. There is a general decrease in cognitive powers, which affect the individual’s memory, thinking, reasoning, judgment and behavior. These changes, which occur throughout the nervous system, often cause an individual to become confused.
There are two main types of confusion — acute confusion, also known as “delirium”, and chronic confusion, also known as “dementia”. They each have distinct characteristics, which affect cognitive abilities and behavioral patterns.
The most common form of dementia is “Alzheimer’s Disease”, for which there is no cure. It is a progressive disease and has three main stages. While it can’t be cured, it can be managed.
There are various ways a Preferred Care at Home caregiver can support seniors with Alzheimer’s Disease or other dementias. This would include such measures as maintaining a safe and calm environment, making the senior feel secure and providing ongoing and increasing support with their activities of daily living.
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Causes |
Symptoms |
Treatment |
The cause is not known but theories are:
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There is no cure but it can be managed by:
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Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s Disease has three stages. Signs and symptoms become more severe with each stage and eventually death occurs.
- Stage 1Individuals in Stage 1 can generally manage their daily activities themselves, but they may require some assistance with organization.Traits common to Stage 1 are:
- loss of memory;
- problems finding the right words;
- problems exercising good judgment;
- problems making good decisions;
- becoming lost in familiar places;
- problems carrying out multi-task activities;
- feeling sad, depressed, & anxious;
- avoiding social interactions;
- problems remembering appointments, names or recent events; and,
- misplacing items.
- Stage 2Individuals in Stage 2 may have more problems taking care of themselves, but they can still be involved in their daily care and follow a routine.Traits common to Stage 2 are:
- some assistance needed with their activities of daily living ;
- becoming restless, especially during the evening hours;
- loss of memory increases – they may not know family or friends;
- failure to recognize dangers and differentiate between hot and cold;
- becoming angry or easily upset;
- need to be reminded to eat;
- having trouble expressing self and understanding others;
- some bowel and bladder incontinence; and,
- loss of impulse control (e.g. uses foul language, poor table manners, sexually aggressive)
- Stage 3Individuals in Stage 3 usually require complete assistance with daily care.Traits common to Stage 3 are:
- unable to communicate – may grunt or scream;
- does not recognize self or family members;
- touching or patting things continuously;
- sleeping more often;
- disoriented to person, place and time;
- cannot sit or walk – becomes confined to bed;
- total bowel and urinary incontinence;
- unable to swallow;
- may have seizures;
- coma; and,
- death.
Behavioral Patterns Found in Alzheimer’s Disease
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Behavior |
Description |
How to Handle the Behavior |
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Recurring Behaviors |
Recurring behavior is doing the same act over and over ( e.g. folding a towel). |
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Abnormal Sexual Behavior |
Sexual behavior may involve the wrong person, at the wrong time, in the wrong place. Or, it may involve an inappropriate action (e.g. exposing themselves or masturbating in front of others). |
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Screaming |
Screaming occurs in an attempt to communicate. It can involve screaming a name, a word or simply making yelling sounds. |
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Aggression |
Aggression & combativeness often occur because of restlessness or agitation (e.g. hitting, punching, biting). |
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Agitation |
An agitated individual may walk back & forth, hit or yell. |
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Disastrous Responses |
Disastrous responses are extreme responses, with the individual reacting as if a major disaster has occurred. |
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Delusions |
Delusions area false beliefs, even when facts say differently. (e.g. An individual may think he/she is going to be murdered.) |
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Hallucinations |
A hallucination is hearing, seeing smelling or feeling things that are not there. (e.g. Individuals may think snakes are in bed with them.) |
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Sundowning |
Sundowning is the appearance of confusion, agitation, and other severely disruptive behavior coupled with inability to remain asleep. It occurs in the late afternoon & evening hours. |
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Wandering |
Since Alzheimer’s Disease causes the individual to be disoriented in respect to person, place or time, they may become lost or use poor judgment, which compromises their safety. |
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Caring for Seniors With Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias
- create a supportive environment by:
- providing extra security measures such as posting notes to serve as reminders (e.g. turn stove off);
- keeping the environment familiar e.g. don’t move furniture around;
- establish and maintain a regular daily routine; and,
- keeping the client oriented. (e.g clock, calendar, radio, night light);
- evaluate home for safety and take corrective actions by:
- removing scatter rugs;
- storing household cleaners and harmful substances in a safe place;
- removing sharp & breakable objects from the environment; and,
- using plastic eating and drinking utensils;
- provide structure and routine;
- schedule low stress activities;
- speak slowly and clearly to facilitate their understanding of what is being said;
- provide simple explanations on everything said;
- research community resources which will benefit the client;
- encourage them to share their memories, as long as they can recall them;
- plan physical activities, as they will offset disruptive behavior;
- encourage mental activities (e.g. reading, crafts, keeping abreast with current events); and,
- provide the client’s basic needs.